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Key Vote

Key Vote NO on a Clean Increase in the Debt Limit - H.R. 325

As one of our millions of FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your U.S. Representative and urge him or her to vote NO on H.R. 325, a bill which would lift the U.S. debt limit without a dollar cap for four months (until May 19, 2013) with no accompanying spending reforms or reductions.

The Constitution grants to Congress the "power of the purse," specifically, the power to "lay and collect taxes," to "pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States," to "coin money and regulate the value thereof," and to "borrow money on the credit of the United States." (Article I, section 8.) The same Founding generation that granted these important powers also took it for granted that, as a rule, government spending should be frugal and budgets balanced. They abhorred excessive debt as much as they abhorred a standing army or an unarmed citizenry, and for the same reason: because it paves a path for tyrants.

They also considered excessive debt immoral. As Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.”

Our government has swindled futurity to the tune of over $16,000,000,000,000 (sixteen trillion dollars), a staggering amount that exceeds the entire annual output of the U.S. economy and equals more than $52,000 for every U.S. citizen. And these enormous figures don't even include the government's more than $100,000,000,000,000 (one hundred trillion dollars) in unfunded entitlement promises.

The statutory debt limit is a tool created by Congress to help it "manage" its finances. In theory, the periodic need to raise the limit serves as an occasion to reassess spending priorities and secure needed economies. In practice, Congress always just raises the limit "clean."

Once again, Congress is preparing to grant itself a "clean" debt limit increase –- no strings attached. House leaders misleadingly speak as if the proposed bill is conditioned on Congress doing its job and passing a budget, and they claim Congress needs more time to pass a balanced budget plan through each chamber. But in fact, this bill is a "clean" debt ceiling increase. It would simply continue the current pattern –- ask for more money now for promised spending reforms later. If this pattern continues, the major credit agencies have threatened once again to downgrade our nation’s credit, which will make paying down the debt even more difficult.

Congress must stop swindling futurity. We must put an end to "borrow-and-spend." No more "clean" debt limit increases. Instead, Washington should do its job and pass a budget -- a specific, immediate plan for balancing the budget within a reasonable period of time, without raising taxes. It's been four years since the Senate fulfilled its legal duty and passed a budget. During this time, Washington politicians have enjoyed unbridled, haphazard spending sprees, while America's families and businesses are left paying the tab. Until the American people see a plan for the spending, there should be no debt ceiling increase. We aren't asking for the moon. We're just asking for a return to regular order and common sense. Our message to Washington is simple: "No budget plan, no debt hike. No more debt until you do your jobs."

Also, the bill includes language claiming to be "No Budget No Pay," a commonsense reform FreedomWorks has been urging Congress to adopt since 2011 -- but the actual language in the bill merely postpones Members' pay for two years rather than eliminating it; and the reform is temporary rather than permanent (applying only to this year). This limp approach is too lukewarm to be taken seriously.

I urge you to call your U.S. Representative and ask him or her to vote NO on H.R. 325 to stop a clean increase in the debt ceiling. We will count the vote on H.R. 325 as a KEY VOTE when calculating the FreedomWorks Economic Freedom Scorecard for 2013. The Economic Freedom Scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes members of Congress with voting records that support economic freedom.

Key Vote NO on “Fiscal Cliff” Tax Hikes and Sequester Postponement
Dear FreedomWorks member,
As one of our millions of FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your state’s two U.S. Senators and urge them to vote against the McConnell-Obama bill to raise taxes and postpone the promised sequester savings.

As we approach the inevitability of the fiscal cliff, taxpayers are understandably concerned. How much more will I have to pay in taxes? Will the the economy worsen? What will the spending cuts mean for my family? What surprises await for personal and business taxes and regulations in 2013?First, the new taxes. Personal income taxes will be going up for everyone. As reported today by The Right Scoop,

If President Obama and Senator Reid were actually negotiating in good faith, then one could argue that Speaker Boehner's Plan B was an acceptable, if unpalatable, compromise. After all, it permanently extended the current tax rates for very nearly all Americans, eliminating the annual game of chicken in Congress over whether our taxes will automatically increase.

The fiscal cliff is looming, and as FreedomWorks' President Matt Kibbe pointed out, “The $16 trillion monstrosity that is our current national debt is a product of spending too much, not taxing too little.” We need a plan that includes sequestration as well as reforms to taxation and entitlements. Senator Marco Rubio took to the airwaves last night to discuss just this.

Dear FreedomWorks member,As one of our millions of FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your Representative and urge him or her to vote against Speaker Boehner’s “Plan B” tax plan. This bill, being offered as replacement language for H.J.Res. 66, would prevent automatic tax rate increases for most individuals, but would allow taxes to automatically increase for some higher-income Americans.

Washington, DC- FreedomWorks issued a Key Vote today urging members of Congress to vote “NO” on Speaker of the House John Boehner’s fiscal cliff “Plan B.” The plan offers a permanent extension of current income-tax rates for all except those earning $1 million a year.

What should Congress do on the Fiscal Cliff? 1) Lock in $1.2 trillion in ten-year sequester savings. 2) Extend ALL current tax rates for one year. 3) Reform taxes and entitlements to avert another debt downgrade. Questions?
P.S. From now on, every debt ceiling increase should be offset by an equivalent amount of spending reductions, in the same bill. No more kicking the can down the road!
That is all.

Taxes hikes are a distraction. It is all about spending.Barack Obama is a master magician. The great ones keep your attention focused on their right hand while they pick your pocket with their left. For a lawyer who voluntarily surrendered his law license, Barack Obama has proven an exceptional ability to frame the public debate.